Asked on Dec 25, 2015

Kitchen cabinet doors are bulging, how can we fix them?

Dorothy Costa
by Dorothy Costa
Our white, kitchen cabinet doors are forming bulges, bubbles , and blisters on the front. What can we do?
  10 answers
  • Jonnie Hammon Jonnie Hammon on Dec 27, 2015
    If it's the paint, scrape, sand, use a bonding primer if thennecessary, then repaint. If it's the veneer, cut it, put more glue, then weight it down, until dry. If it is the wood, itself, you can put a went towel on it, atop the bowed side, then weight it down with bricks, and it will eventually straighten back out. It takes a awhile , you can also use steam, then weight get .it down, its a little faster.
  • Darla Darla on Dec 27, 2015
    If it's the particle board swelling from moisture, there's not much you can do.
  • Betsy Frahm Betsy Frahm on Dec 27, 2015
    Had this issue when our cabinets were only a year or two old. Almond color paint chipping off. Wrote to the manufacturer since the company who we bought it from wouldn't help. Manufacturers made the company replace the entire kitchen. Then went with dark cherry..... Afraid the white would crack again. Contact the maker of your cabinets.
  • LD LD on Dec 27, 2015
    First you need to determine if the cabinets were painted or is the laminate coming off. If these are new cabinets that you purchased, then you need to contact your installer and the manufacturer so the cabinets or the doors can be replaced. If these are older cabinets that you painted or the previous owner painted, it sounds as though the cabinets were not properly prepared for painting. In order to fix the doors due to previous paint job, is to remove all paint and check the integrity of the doors before redoing the doors. When painting cabinetry be sure to use the proper products that the professional use. The best source is you local paint store. I personally use Sherwin Williams as my go to source.
  • Hope Williams Hope Williams on Dec 27, 2015
    Hi Dorothy. First question; is it paint bubbling? The overlay? What exactly is bubbling. Second; have to have a little more info first to better help you.
  • Slgibbs1 Slgibbs1 on Dec 28, 2015
    If it is a cheap kitchen cabinet set it may be laminate. Poke a tiny pin hole with a needle and look underneath. Is it particleboard or wood?
  • Jeani Miller Miner Jeani Miller Miner on Dec 29, 2015
    are these the upper cabinets that are possibly positioned above coffee makers and or toasters. The rising heat from appliances will cause what you've described. More info and photos would be helpful
  • B. Enne B. Enne on Dec 29, 2015
    If they are thermofoil or shrinkwrapped vinyl, there are many posts on this site how to remove it and repaint. Just check the search bar at the top. Don't try to repaint over the vinyl since it moves. You can paint over the cabinet sides and face (melamine), but the doors are different. Here are a couple of links to get you started. http://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/rooms/q-how-to-paint-kitchen-cabinets-after-paint-peeled-off-8655437 Yhe following one is a warning: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/-2448703
    Picked off "paper" coating on kitchen cabinets, how do I paint them?
  • Shniece Fraiser Stokes Shniece Fraiser Stokes on Jan 30, 2020

    I need to find out how to property repair this it was bubble in the paint I pushed at it and this happened I don’t think this is regular paint how do I fix this

  • Deb K Deb K on Aug 09, 2023

    Hello, sand them down smooth, and put a fresh coat of paint or chalk paint on them.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjkOr5bkM0M